ARISE

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ARISE

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When we climb out of an abyss

Struggling for the tiniest handhold

To pull ourselves up using all our strength

We come to a cloudbank, a Twilight Zone

Where nothing is recognizable, everything cattywumpus

Strange and so confusing to our minds

This is an important moment to gather our courage 

And take the next step up, away from the darkness and howling

Wind of despair, we must keep going, keep climbing

Upwards towards our future 

Where the possibilities of the Unknown can renew

Our hopes and dreams, which will always rise lifting our hearts

Filling our spirits with firm determination to see with our own eyes

What glorious, serene view we might attain at the top.

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AVOCADOSAURUS

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AVOCADOSAURUS

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The army green skin of my avocado

Bumpy and pebbly and cool as room temperature

A texture and color no human could exactly reproduce

A braille message from the universe I must interpret

It made me think of the skin of a dinosaur

(Although I have never seen the skin of a dinosaur)

I have imagined it many times

I pick the avocado up and close my eyes

Feel the irregularities of the peel 

And for a tiny moment I am transported to millions

And millions of misty years ago 

Where I hold an impossibly small dinosaur in my hand

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DISCERNMENT

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DISCERNMENT

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We're not going to fall for that trick again

Or believe those blatant lies

We're not tripping down that garden path

Where hope is born, then dies

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We are not handing over our hearts and minds

Or our hard won self esteem and coins

Waiting to see, we are cautious now

And each morning we gird our loins

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ENTROPY WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME

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ENTROPY WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME

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I don't like the Universe expanding

I don't like that salmon slowly die after they mate

I don't like war, ever ever ever

I don't like the fickle finger of fate

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For what pittance it's worth these are my heartfelt opinions

My  reactions to the events life brings

I just do my own little life here

I just fiddle while Rome does its thing

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MADE A DECISION

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MADE A DECISION

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Making a decision can be a turning point 

An axis on which every facet of our lives can rotate

Reorienting to a new direction

A new goal, committment, or necessity

A final conclusion to one way and embracing a new better way

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Making a decision can also be a temporary step

Just for today until you determine

What decision must be made next

Either way, when we rummage around in our little bag

Of tricks, we can pull out our decision

Whether life changing or temporary

We hold the decision in our hand, charging it with our energy

Then we put the decision in our breast pocket

Over our hearts, the House of Hope

As we travel our path through this confusing life

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BOUNCE HOUSE

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BOUNCE HOUSE

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Some households need a bouncer

To eject unruly guests like

Harsh words, disrespect, aggression

Deception and fakery

A bouncing baby girl or boy will not fix this

But bouncing around kindness, ideas and solutions

Will be a giant leap towards peace

In the big disco dance party that is in the club

Harmonious Relationships featuring D.J. You

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HOLD YOUR HORSES

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HOLD YOUR HORSES

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If you imagine a garden in your mind

You can design it any way you like

If you like roses, the whole garden can be roses

Or fantastic topiaries, or both

The same thing is true for time

We invented time, cut the day up into uniform pieces

Assigned numbers and names to each little bit

We can't change the cultural or societal aspect of time

It is a convenience, a tool for cooperation

But our personal felt experience of time

Is under our control

Being impatient, rushed, urgent

Makes us quick to be annoyed, to get angry at anything

Or anyone that slows us down

Somehow, we have caught the feeling that we are wasting our lives

Squandering the precious substance of our existence

While waiting to merge in traffic, waiting for the update

Pacing back and forth waiting for a delivery

This creates a life-or-death tension for the slightest delay

We are no longer waiting for the crops to ripen

Or the cows to come home

We are waiting for the microwave, and these days?

We don't have all minute.

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MEDITATION

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MEDITATION

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Here is a meditation

See if you don't go WOW

Repeat to yourself while walking

"There is no time, there is only now."

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DIRECTION

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DIRECTION

You might need to move on

But don't give up

It's not over 

The new must replace the out dated

We shed former selves and like hermit crabs

We need to find a new home to grow and thrive

Somewhere that suits the new evolved being

You have endured so much to become.

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THE GAME IS A FOOT

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THE GAME IS A FOOT

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We all have an Achilles heel

Some aspect of ourselves that is especially vulnerable

That could lead to a stumble, a down fall

Or worse

This is the area we must protect against harm

From whatever slings and arrows fate might throw at us

The part that can get in a cycle of self destruction

That can backslide into the old traps

Watch your steps carefully to protect your Achilles heel

While we are on the topic, actual foot care is important

So we can guard and protect both our corporeal feet and

The mythical foot we depend on for mobility in both worlds

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DRIFTDAY

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DRIFTDAY

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Some days we feel decisive and bold

Some days we are discombobulated

On those days we put most things on "hold"

Thinking is so over rated

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Timing is very important

We know when the time is not now

We might need to take more readings

Before we can go with the flow

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Today we don't have to decide

Or finalize our plans

We can sit back and let it ride

Until the answer falls into our hands

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DEMON VERSUS DEMON

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DEMON VERSUS DEMON

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. Evil will gnaw away at Good Until there is no Good left We must thwart Evil, but how? Through cleverness. We trick Evil into attacking other Evils Which should be easy because Evil loves to attack And Evil isn't all that smart So if we play our cards right We can turn one Evil against another Let them fight to the death. Or learn that Evil isn't working out for them And switch sides.

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ALCHEMY WITH A CHERRY ON TOP

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ALCHEMY WITH A CHERRY ON TOP

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It comes as a shock

The day you realize you don't know everything

You could be wrong, they could be right

You could be mistaken because you overlooked 

Some vital aspect you never suspected

When you are shown proof that you were incorrect

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That day is a very important day

It is the day the door to your perception 

Opens a little wider, lets in more light

A breath of fresh air, a whiff of lotus blossom

It is the day humility turns to wisdom.

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VERY NECESSARY

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VERY NECESSARY

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Space is necessary

So everything isn't all clumped together

In one place

Like a car that has been junked and compressed

Into a cube

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Time is necessary

So everything doesn't happen at the same moment

Which is almost impossible to imagine

Though you might have had days 

When this compressed chaos seems like it is your reality

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Nature is necessary

To organize the living beings on Earth

(The "red in tooth and claw" thing

Wouldn't have been my choice

But it is what it is.)

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Individual people are necessary

To cover the impressive array of skill and traits

Humans can be born with and develop

Even if a person is not needed in my minicosmos

They may be vital, crucial even

For some purpose unknown to me

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All these aspects are here on the great stage of life

A drama that unfolds when I raise the red velvet curtains

Of my eyelids each morning

And see what fascinating new act will unfold

In the fullness of the day

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

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The two of them fought like crazy

Arguments spoken with passion

Each made their talking points

And the best case they could fashion

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There were such thunderous accusations

It appeared someone might throw a punch

But after the verdict was rendered

Prosecution and Defense went to lunch

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We must ask the obvious question

How can this possibly be?

The two lawyers hated each other

As far as the courtroom can see

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But a difference in legal perspectives

Is no reason they can't be friends

A mere difference of opinions

Is not where cordiality ends

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THE FOOL IN TIME

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THE FOOL IN TIME

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I move at the speed of me

You move at the speed of you

No matter if we are fast or slow

Time is the dimension we are passing through

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Swimming and breaching in the ocean of time

We frolic the depths and waves

Using each moment fully

Because time unused can't be saved

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We use our time wisely

Even when we appear like the fool

We live and learn moment by moment

Time is the teacher and school

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Time only has one arrow

It only points one way

Time is so precious and valuable

Let's make the most of this day

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NO MORE WAX WINGS

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NO MORE WAX WINGS

The human urge to improve things

Is perhaps the brightest spark of divine inspiration

Could Icarus have wanted to capture this awesome creative fire

To distribute to humanity?

Like he wanted to say, "Wake up people, look around. We can do better."

Could he have wanted to ignite the righteous passions

Of mankind, so we could transcend our lower natures?

If so, it was a nice gesture (with an unfortunate ending)

But unnecessary because our deep urge to

Improve, enhance, upgrade, refine and implement

New better ways of going forward is the very definition

Of civilization

As long as we see and know that things could be better

Fixed, or something new and amazing invented

Our divine spark of starlight is alive and well

Leading the way, lighting the darkness

Ever forward into the great Unknown

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ELECTRON WRANGLER

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ELECTRON WRANGLER

I don't have a herd of cattle

Or a flock of fluffy sheep

But I do have a gaggle of gizmos

I must plug in before I sleep

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ROCK OF STRENGTH

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ROCK OF STRENGTH

When ever inner courage and fortitude is needed

Visions of strength help solidify our goals 

They create an immovable mood

Of patient enduring determination

We can think of Mount Kailash 

Or Chomolungma, Goddess of the Sky

 Uluru, and the beautiful mysterious Mount Fuji

All powerful reasons to look up

At the mighty symbols of

Immutable persistance

You can ask the Earth to point out a rock

Pick it up, carry it with you

Hold it when you want to remind yourself of how strong

You really are.

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MY GOOD DAY

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MY GOOD DAY

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An online search can answer many questions

"How many popes were named Leo?"

"Where do sycamores grow?"

However, some questions only I can answer

So, if I want to think about having a good day

Only I can define the ingredients 

"What does that look like? What would a good day consist of?"

The more richly detailed my answer

The clearer the mental picture

Of my good day.

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MAKING A PROPHET

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MAKING A PROPHET

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In the dream factory

That lives inside our skull

We build castles in the air, walk down memory lane

Chat with imaginary people

The dream factory is cranking out thoughts and dreams

Day and night

But who is in charge? Who runs this mighty enterprise?

Who plans and programs these thoughts?

We do. We obtain the raw material of reality and process it

If the quality of the thoughts isn't up to our standards

We can get in there and restructure everything

We can impose new higher standards for the thoughts we produce

With a better selection

We can discontinue an outdated line of thoughts

For more updated ones

Once you have improved the product

You will need inspectors to carefully look over each thought 

Discarding the cracked, warped and undesirable ones

The broken dreams, half-finished notions, worn out philosophies

And beliefs that have proven false

Once Quality Control reviews the mental products

The entire corporation of You, Yourself and Your State of Being

Will begin to show the profits of inner peace, contentment, and joy

It is amazing how fast this works.

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THE LAW OF BOOK AND CLAW

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THE LAW OF BOOK AND CLAW

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We follow the rules of polite society

We eat with utensils

Cover our mouths when we cough

Avail ourselves of the restroom

Say "Excuse me" when we accidentally bump someone

Smile and say "Hello"

These behaviors have been taught

They vary from culture to culture

And century to century

They are a thin veneer of civility

Over the original primitive being

That will fight tooth and nail to survive

Who will protect others

Who can help lift a car to free a trapped pedestrian

Pull a child from a raging river 

Save a family pet from the rubble

Necessary and useful, this primitive version of us

As long as it doesn't slip the leash and show up 

At the wrong place at the wrong time

An argument with a neighbor

A different political point of view

Merging in traffic

Rage, violence and abuse is not needed

Polite us and primitive us must work together

Each having a place and time

Depending on the situation

To balance what we were and what we are growing towards

In a better, kinder, gentler future

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THE HUMAN RACE

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THE HUMAN RACE

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The Queen told Alice in Wonderland

As they dashed along at a fast pace

"It takes all the running you can do

Just to stay in the same place."

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They rushed forward until winded

When they stopped what did Alice see?

Despite all the hustle and bustle

They were still under the very same tree!

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We can run around like crazy

Be as busy as busy can be

But at the end of our daily journey

We are under the very same tree

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THE PATH IS MADE BY WALKING

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THE PATH IS MADE BY WALKING

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When a new challenge comes along

Something we are struggling with

It often turns out to be the exact thing

We needed to grow and develop

The skills, both material and mental

That will be needed to move forward

For our continued development

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I do not think this is because some 

Supernatural Game Master is doling out challenges

In some mysterious plan 

I think it is because we come across

A situation we have not already learned how face

Something that is puzzling because this is new

It is a challenge because it is something not already mastered

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We get strong by using strength

We get wise by using our reasoning mind

We get experience by dealing with new things

We learn how to do things by doing them

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LONG AGO

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LONG AGO

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They wanted to know about aliens

They wanted to know where they are

So they built really powerful telescopes

To monitor visible stars

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Exoplanets circling their suns

Were analyzed for what's there

Signs of life or civilization

The atmospheric effects were clear

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They found one! It had all the markers

They built mighty robot ships to see

They would send back pictures and data

The distance in light years was three

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Of course, the journey would take much longer

No object moves at the speed of light

They sent out their most advanced roboships

Into the endless night

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The ships traveled on for eons

During that time the home planet's survival

Became dubious at best

They were no longer monitoring the arrival

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Alas the home world didn't last

Blown away by ill fate

When the roboships started sending data

It was already too late

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The ships ran a sophisticated program

Invisibly gathering details

They are so very ancient

Sometimes the cloaking shield fails

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The roboships make constant efforts

Sending back data to empty space

Yet they go on doing their thing

A command no one alive could erase

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If you go out at night

And look up at the stars, who knows?

You might glimpse a roboship

We humans call them UFOs

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BUT WEIGHT - THERE'S MORE

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BUT WEIGHT - THERE'S MORE

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When someone that is overweight

Makes a decision to eat more healthy food

To exercise, no matter how modest the start

And enlists the help of encouragers

That person will not just lose weight

They shed the person they never were

And become the person they were always

Meant to be.

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